Helen - A Rustic Alpine Mountain Village in Georgia (No, really!)

Adventure Journal - Entry Date: November 2011 (More)
On this particular trip to Helen, we were camping at Vogel State Park. Being Thanksgiving weekend, we  knew there would be a lot of Christmas lights and decorations in the streets. Additionally, Unicoi State Park was having their "Festival of Trees" this weekend. We'd hoped to see both, but time would not allow.

We pulled into Helen mid-afternoon, and the Sun was already low in the sky. We made our way down the crowded sidewalks, and visited several shops. The candy shops and toy stores were the most popular with the kids, and there are plenty. There was a street side musician playing a violin, and I sat and listened to that for a while. He was incredible. People were lined up to ride in the holiday adorned horse drawn carriages. Toward one end of the downtown area, a bridge crosses the Chattahoochee River. Here is where the kids had the most fun. They even caught a crawdad (crayfish) the size of a small lobster.

After visiting a few more shops, we settled into an outdoor café area where a musician performed various classic rock tunes with his band in a box and a guitar. As the sun set, the thousands of Christmas lights began to glow and blink. It was a beautiful sight, but the view (and ability to photograph) was hampered by the constant flow of traffic through town. We considered having our evening meal and Helen, but the crowd made that prospect unappealing. We decided to head back to Vogel and an evening by the campfire.

The appeal of Helen varies in our family. Rebecca loves it, and the kids seem to like it as well. Me? I'd have rather spent the day at Vogel. But that's just me. For lots more pictures of Helen, plus details of places to go and things to do near Helen, click here.

Nearby destinations include Vogel State Park, Unicoi State Park, Gold n Gem Grubbin', Blairsville, Brasstown Bald, Enota Mountain Retreat, Hiawassee, Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds, Dahlonega, Amicalola Falls State Park, Tallulah Gorge State Park, and much more.

 

Vogel State Park - Blairsville, Georgia

One of Georgia's Oldest and Most Popular State Parks
Vogel State Park is located near Blairsville in the north Georgia mountains. As one of the first state parks in Georgia, Vogel was constructed primarily by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) during the 1930s. Vogel is also one of the most popular state parks in Georgia, so reserving a campsite there is sometimes difficult. The park features a beautiful lake with a sandy beach and pedal boats, two playgrounds, miniature golf, a CCC museum (call the park for museum hours), and a very nice camp store and gift shop. Regarding the park's campground, Vogel upholds Georgia's high standards by providing large RV sites with water and electric hookups (sorry, no sewer).

The park has plenty of hiking, biking, and other outdoor recreation opportunities. A small creek runs through the campground providing a nice soundtrack for family adventure. If you take bikes, be aware that the ride from the campground is a breeze, but the ride back is all uphill. Vogel is in the Chattahoochee National Forest, so wildlife abounds. Be aware of black bears. They're very common.

Being just minutes from Blairsville is very convenient, especially considering the numerous events and festivals that take place in the small mountain town. Other local attractions include the Appalachian Trail, Brasstown bald (the highest point in Georgia), Helton Falls, Track Rock Gap, Helen (alpine village), Unicoi State Park, Cleveland (Gold and Gem Grubbing), Hiawassee, Blue Ridge, Franklin North Carolina (ruby mining), and much more.

For detailed Adventure journal entries and dozens of pictures of Vogel State Park, click here.

Labor Day Weekend 2011 - A Quest for Gold, Gems, Waterfalls, and Festivals

For this long Labor Day weekend holiday, we decided to re-visit Gold n Gem Grubbin' in Cleveland, Georgia for a rockhounding adventure. In addition to providing an awesome place to pan for gold, grub for gems, and generally rockhound, the campground provides a great home-base while exploring this part of Georgia. Some friends joined us on this trip, so the kids had friends to play with at the campground. And play they did. We were so happy they were getting exercise.

Our first full day was a Saturday, and we decided to spend it exploring the area. Blairsville was hosting a Mountain Heritage Festival, so that was our first destination. We had a hankerin' for some funnel cake, home-made ice cream, folk music, and farm animals. We swung into Vogel State Park on the way. We've stayed at Vogel just once, but we loved it. We're coming back Thanksgiving! The festival in Blairsville was a lot of fun, and we saw many works of art, and lots of folks working at it. All our expectations were filled before having a picnic lunch and heading for Helton Creek Falls to play in the water.

Eventually, we concluded our day back at the Gold n Gem Grubbin' campground by a nice fire. We knew tomorrow would be filled with treasure hunting and discovery, not to mention a little playing in the creek.

For the rest of the story, including dozens of pictures, details, and Adventure Journal entries about Gold n Gem Grubbin', click here.

Fort Mountain State Park - A wonderful place for an adventure.

Overview - The Tribe's Favorite Park
Fort Mountain State Park is located near Chatsworth, Georgia on the Southwestern edge of the Cohutta Wilderness. This park is the Richardson Tribe's #1 favorite place to visit and camp, Why? Where do I start?

1- Accessible- Fort Mountain (Cohutta to the Native Americans) is perhaps the most easily accessed mountain in North Georgia. It's about 1.5 hours from Atlanta and just a little over an hour from Chattanooga. All but the last eight miles is flat freeway and highway travel. The final segment is curvy, steep, and scenic. There are several picturesque pull-offs that should be observed on the way. 

As you wind your way up the mountain, roll your windows down so you can enjoy the gradual temperature and humidity change. Typically, from the base of the mountain to the park, there can be as much as a 10-12 degree change. The dramatic temperature change can affect the weather on Fort Mountain, often making it totally different from the mountain's base (as in rain, snow, or lack thereof).

2- Campgrounds- Georgia's standards for its state parks are high, especially when it comes to campgrounds. Fort Mountain State Park has two campgrounds. One is located adjacent the lake, the other is just across the road. The sites are level, extremely large, clean, and furnished with fire ring/grill units and sturdy picnic tables. If we can't get a site on the lake, we usually go over to campground 2 and use the very large pull-through sites. The ONLY negative I can think of is the lack of full hookup (as in sewer), but that's pretty standard for state park (with very few exceptions). They have cable there, but channels are few and picture quality is sub-par. It doesn't matter, you should be outside enjoying the fresh clean air anyway.

3- Amenities- Fort Mountain State Park seems to have all the right stuff. There is a lake with a very nice (sometimes crowded) beach, row boats, pedal boats, and some good fishing. Near the beach's snack bar and picnic shelters is a miniature golf course and a very nice playground. The park features 14 miles of hiking and 27 miles of mountain biking within the park. and the Cohutta Wilderness is directly accessible as is the Pinhoti Trail making hiking and biking almost unlimited. For a fee, you can rent a horse at Fort Mountain Stables (a private business).

4- Wildlife - You can find just about every type of animal native to this part of the country at Fort Mountain including bear, turkey, bobcat, and even (according to some) cougar.

5- History, Mystery, and Legend- Fort Mountain State Park is the home of much history, mystery, and legend. For example:

- The wall- Located at Fort Mountain's peak are the remains of an 855 ft wall. Though there are many speculations as to its origins and its purpose, it is unlikely it was built as a fortification. While it would help to fend-off enemy attacks, there is no water source. All the enemy would have to do is sit and wait. It's more likely the wall was somehow a part of a ceremonial ground, which is consistent with other sites such as Old Stone Fort State Park in Manchester Tennessee. Some speculated the wall was built by Desoto's men, and some think it was built by Welsh Prince Madoc's men. The fact is, no one knows for sure, although the estimate the wall's construction to be around 500ad.

- Cherokee Gold - There are legends related to a secret Cheroke gold mine on "Cohutta", the Native American word for the mountain. Stories about the local Cherokee wearing gold jewelry, and settlers trying to find the source have been handed down for years. One has to consider the wealth of some of the local Cherokee such as Joseph Vann. Vann's father accumulated massive wealth while living near the foot of the mountain. They say his father made the money from taverns and various other enterprises, but when his son was forced to move from this area to Tennessee, he deposited over $200,000 worth of gold in a bank. That's $200,000 in the 1830s, think about it.

 - Cohutta Gold Mine - Apparently, placer gold had been successfully panned from the creeks on Fort Mountain for many years before the Cohutta Mine opened around 1905. According to the United States Geological Survey, a large vein of gold had been discovered and was being worked when they visited in 1906. In fact, the owners had ordered additional equipment and were stepping-up production. Mysteriously, four years later when the same surveyors visited the site, the mine was shut-down. In 1926 the property was purchased by wealthy businessman (and later Atlanta Mayor) Ivan Allen, then donated to the state of Georgia as a state park. So, the mystery of the Cohutta Mine exists today. Where was it? Why was it shut down? Is there still gold to be panned? I believe there is.